Work Text:
There’s a weird thing that Keith does that makes Ryan simply insane. A good kind of insane, but insane nonetheless.
See, it’s something so innocent. So small and kind and sweet. After all, it’s Keith; he’s hardly capable of being anything else. Ryan really shouldn’t even be worried about it! And yet, here he was, sitting at a table beside a food truck, lost in his thoughts of a silly little nickname.
“Here we go. Tater tots for my tater tot!” Keith chirped, sliding a tray to Ryan.
There it was.
Tater tot.
Where the nickname came from, Ryan wasn’t sure. Keith had just called him that out of the blue one day, and it stuck. Now, Ryan was tortured with it. He heard it at the training center. He heard it at events. He heard it every single time he saw Keith’s stupid, pretty face.
And every single time, those two little words made his face flush and his palms sweat.
It’s so unfair! Keith didn’t even know what he was doing! He was just being nice. He was being friendly, just like always, not even realizing that he was tightening his grip on Ryan’s heart each time the pet name left his lips. As Keith sat across from him, Ryan stabbed at his tater tots with his fork.
“I didn’t know what you wanted on them, but I thought cheese was best, because it’s yellow and that’s close to gold and gold is your favorite color!” Keith explained.
Ryan couldn’t help but smile. “You can’t ever go wrong with cheese.”
“You can have some of mine, if you want! I got chili and onions and cheese and onions again!”
“Sounds like a case of bad breath waiting to happen.”
Keith cocked his head. “My breath is bad? This is my usual order…” Keith’s smile fell as he huffed into his hand, “I can’t really tell if it’s bad.”
Ryan’s chest felt tight. This was the other thing about Keith that drove him insane.
He could never, ever seem to say the right thing around the guy.
Ryan knew his mouth was a bit of a loose cannon. He liked that about himself. Words flew out of him faster than he could keep up, and somehow over the years that had only made him more confident. He says what he thinks and feels without any worries. It’s a skill few people possess, and he’s proud to be one of them. But with Keith?
He so desperately wished he could learn to just think before he spoke.
Because Keith is kind. He’s not stupid, but his mind works differently, and not all of Ryan’s jokes stuck the landing. And when they didn’t, Keith would get that confused, almost hurt look as he tried to piece it all together. It was a look that made Ryan’s heart shatter.
What he wouldn’t give to never be the cause of the look again.
“Nah, nah. Don’t worry, you’re fine. I was just making a joke. ‘Cause of the extra onions.” Ryan said.
Keith’s smile returned. “Oh! I guess extra onions is bad breath waiting to happen. I’m glad I won’t be kissing anyone!”
You can kiss me, even with onion breath, Ryan thought.
“So…” Ryan drawled, pushing his tater tots around with his fork, “you wanna come to my place after this? We can watch a movie or something.”
Keith suddenly grew still. He stopped eating, putting his hands in his lap as his brows furrowed. Ryan raised an eyebrow. He couldn’t have possibly said something wrong. All he did was ask him to come watch a movie!
“I…I like documentaries.” Keith admitted, shifting uncomfortably.
Ryan chuckled. “Movies and documentaries are the same.”
Keith shook his head. They were not the same. Ryan had good taste. He liked the shows everyone talked about at the training center, and he could always jump in when asked about movies. Keith couldn’t. Not unless it was with Kotetsu; they liked the same kind of shows and movies. They both never minded watching the same ones over and over, and they never played the movies too loud. Ryan was exciting, though. He was adventurous. And that meant he probably wouldn’t enjoy movies with Keith.
“Maybe I can just come over and see your pet?” Keith suggested.
“Really? You wanna meet Molly? Definitely! My little princess loves visitors!” Ryan gushed.
“Can we go now? Right now?”
Ryan looked down at his food. “Uh…”
Looking up again, Ryan’s heart skipped a beat. Keith looked so hopeful. His blue eyes glimmered with the promise of seeing and loving a little animal. How could Ryan possibly deny him?
“Yeah, sure. I can eat and walk. Come on, my place isn’t too far.” Ryan said.
The two men gathered their food and began the ten minute trek to Ryan’s apartment. Every step made Keith’s stomach tie into knots. He’s never been to Ryan’s before; they alway hung out in public. Keith invited Ryan to the zoo and the museum and the pizza place by his home, Ryan took him to food trucks and neat stores and parks. It was comfortable.
Ryan’s house felt so…personal. And Keith wasn’t sure he was ready for that. Even if Ryan put butterflies in his belly and made his heart race.
“You ever handled reptiles before?” Ryan asked.
“No, no. I’ve only ever had dogs!” Keith said.
“Really? Never any other pets?”
“I wasn’t allowed to have pets when I was a kid. John is my very first pet, and Johnjohn is the second.”
“Well, Molly’s not too hard to handle. She’s pretty chill, so you should be able to hold her no problem.”
“You’ll let me hold her?!”
“Yeah, of course. I know you’ll be nice to her, Summer Breeze.”
Keith nearly dropped his tater tots. “I will! I’ll be very gentle with Molly! I’ll look up the right way to hold her right now!”
Ryan laughed. “It’s okay, I’ll show you how. Don’t worry.”
Keith’s smile could have lit all of Sternbild. How could one man be so full of joy? Ryan wanted more than anything to just kiss that beautiful smile.
Don’t ever say that out loud. That sounds so lame, Ryan thought.
They made it to Ryan’s building. Keith happily chatted with the doorman for far longer than Ryan had expected, only cutting off the conversation when Ryan mentioned Molly again. With anyone else, Ryan might have been annoyed. Keith, however, was so cute when he talked. His hands moved every which way and he seemed to glow with enthusiasm.
It was kind of hard to believe the guy had been telling the doorman to not lean over when climbing a ladder.
That’s Keith, though. Always looking out. Always trying to help. Ryan loved that about him.
Finally, they made it to Ryan’s actual apartment. Ryan unlocked the door and tossed it open, leading Keith inside. Keith gasped as he walked around.
“Look at all your posters! I like this one,” he pointed to an image of a galaxy, “and this one,” a picture of tropical rainforest, “oh, and this one! You must have gotten this one because the iguana looks like Molly.”
Ryan leaned against the doorframe, crossing his arms over his chest. “Yep. Tell you the truth, I just bought a ton of posters from the store because I was tired of the walls being empty. But I ordered that one special.”
“Do you need more posters? I have plenty at my office! I’ll ask Nathan if I can bring you some.”
“Are they Sky High posters?”
“They have kittens, too!”
A picture of Keith holding kittens on his wall. Ryan wouldn’t say no.
Walking over to the large enclosure against the wall, Ryan opened the door and looked around for his girl. Usually around this time Molly would be pacing the floor, eager to get out and lay with Ryan or find a spot to sun herself. It seemed she was hiding today, though.
“Come on, Molly~” Ryan cooed. “We have a friend over. He’s excited to meet you.”
Keith walked over to Ryan, peeking over the man’s shoulder to see into the enclosure. It was much bigger than Keith had expected. It seemed Molly had plenty of perches and things to climb on, as well as toys and blankets and anything else she could ever need. Ryan was such a good dad to her.
Why did that make Keith feel so warm?
Suddenly, a scaly green head peeked out from behind one of the curtains hanging from a perch. A joyful yip escaped Keith as he began to bounce on his toes.
“Baby baby baby baby!” Keith chanted.
“She sure is.” Ryan reached in and picked Molly up carefully. “There we go. Molly, this is Keith. Keith, Molly.”
Keith hesitantly reached out. His fingers brushed against the spines on the iguana’s back. They felt so strange; he kept petting her, the texture of her spines and scales making him smile.
“You want to hold her?” Ryan asked.
“Is it really okay? I don’t want her to be scared…” Keith said, holding his hand out for Molly to sniff.
“She’s not at all. She can tell you’re a good guy. Here,” Ryan shifted Molly to one arm, using his free hand to position Keith’s hands, “you’ll keep ‘em just like this.”
Once Keith was settled, Ryan placed Molly in his hands. He patted her head, smiling softly.
“Wow, she’s heavier than I thought, tater tot!” Keith exclaimed quietly.
“You don’t have to whisper, sunshine.” Ryan said, petting Molly gently.
“What does she like to eat? Does she like watermelon? Sometimes I give John and Johnjohn a little bit of watermelon, and it makes them so happy.”
“Molly is more of a mango girl, but she likes watermelon, too. Only a little bit, though. Mostly she likes leafy greens.”
“…Lettuce?”
“Oh, no. She turns her nose up at it. She likes dandelion greens and collards.”
Keith nodded. “I don’t like lettuce either, Miss Molly!”
“So, how about you, me, and Molly watch a movie? She loves to cuddle.”
“Well…”
Keith’s thumbs began to rub little circles on Molly’s belly. He still wasn’t so sure about movies. What if he got too fidgety and bothered Ryan?
“I’ll get something ordered for dinner and you and Molly find something to watch. Anything you want. And I’ll find a blanket for us while I’m up.” Ryan said.
Before Keith could speak, Ryan disappeared into the kitchen. He looked down at Molly and chuckled.
“That’s my tater tot. He’s very matter of fact.” Keith said, wandering over to the couch.
*****
Since Ryan had invited him to his home and introduced him to his very cute pet, Keith assumed it was only fair to do the same.
Preparing for such a thing took a lot of work. The day before Ryan’s visit, Keith had bathed John and Johnjohn and brushed their coats to ensure they were their perfectly handsome selves for Ryan. Then, he cleaned his apartment. He didn’t want Ryan to know that he’d eaten pizza for dinner twice this week, so the trash had to be taken out. He vacuumed the couches and sprayed them with a fabric refresher. He put away his toys, he swept the floors, he put fresh blankets out in case they needed them. His home was perfect for visitors. For Ryan.
And, of course, he made a tray of tater tots. Ryan’s favorite.
Still, his body buzzed with nervous energy. He kept rearranging his books. He kept moving the tater tots from one dish to the other, unsure if the fish shaped plate or the pawprint plate was more inviting. He really assumed it depended on if Ryan wanted ketchup with his tots. The pawprint plate had a little spot for ketchup.
However, the time for plating decisions was over. Keith’s doorbell rang, and he raced to the door and threw it open without bothering to look through the peephole.
“Ryan! Hello and hello again! Come in, come in!” Keith exclaimed.
“Hey, sunshine.” Ryan said, holding up a shopping bag, “I brought some drinks. And dog treats.”
“Oh, John and Johnjohn will be very happy! I made a snack for us, too. We can all eat together!”
Ryan smiled, stepping into the apartment and setting the bag on the kitchen table. Suddenly, he was bombarded by two furry golden balls of energy. He reached down and petted them carefully. They gave him such happy looks, wagging their tails and pawing at his legs whenever his hands stilled.
The thing people said about pets being like their owners had to be true. John and Johnjohn had the same warm and happy demeanor as Keith.
Eventually, Keith lured the dogs away with a few toys so they could talk in peace for a moment.
“Do you want a tour? It’s not a lot, but…” Keith trailed off.
“Yeah, definitely. I’ve always been curious about how the King of Heroes lives~” Ryan said.
Keith laughed. “I’m not the King of Heroes anymore. But I promise it’s a normal home! Except maybe not as cool as Nathan’s or yours or Ivan’s. Ivan has a koi pond! He lets me feed the fish when I go to see him. Did you know they can grow up to twenty-six inches? And…”
Adorable, Ryan thought, listening to Keith ramble about koi. He followed Keith as he began to walk into the living room. It was more organized than Ryan had thought; he had always felt like Keith was one of those people that liked his house to feel loved in. Maybe he was. He had probably cleaned for Ryan’s visit.
One day, Ryan hoped he could see Keith’s place as it normally was.
However, not quite everything was in its place. The coffee table had a few small items on it. Ryan walked over to take a look. Huh. Toys. Small sharks, whales, dolphins, and other sea creatures dotted the surface. Ryan picked up a sea turtle.
“Oh. Uhm, I’m sorry for the mess! Please allow me to clean up!” Keith exclaimed, grabbing a small bin from under the coffee table and sweeping the toys into it.
“It’s okay. They’re cute. What are they for?” Ryan asked.
Keith shyly wrung his hands. “I…play with them.”
“Neat. You’re always moving, it probably helps you focus, right?”
Keith nodded. Ryan really was just so nice. He never said anything mean about his habits. Ryan dropped the turtle he was holding into the bin in Keith’s hands.
“Your walls are emptier than mine. If you ever want to go shopping for some posters or something, I’ll go with you. I saw this canvas with dogs on it. It would look good right…” Ryan looked around, walking over to an empty spot and patting the wall, “here.”
“Oh! That would be nice! I love dogs!” Keith chirped.
“You do? I had no idea. I thought maybe you were more of a cat guy.”
Keith giggled. “And I thought you were more of a tarantula guy. But you have Molly!”
The two fell into laughter. Once they were able to stop, Keith continued to show Ryan around. He showed him the bathroom, the closets, the office, the gym.
Then, he got to the bedroom.
Keith knew there was no reason to be nervous about showing Ryan his bedroom. He and Ryan are friends. Ryan had shown Keith his bedroom no problem the other day. But as he opened the door, his heart began to race. His stomach fluttered as he watched Ryan wander around the room. The man didn’t touch anything. He simply looked. As Ryan went to the bed, his hand finally reached out and touched the blanket.
“I-I think it’s time to eat our snack! It’ll get cold!” Keith blurted out.
Ryan looked at him, an eyebrow raised. “Sure. This blanket is super nice, by the way. Molly loves this material, soft blankets are her favorite.”
I want to share it with you, Keith thought.
“You should bring Molly over so she can feel it. And so she can meet John and Johnjohn! And we can use it to cuddle on the couch!” Keith babbled.
Ryan choked on his spit. “Yeah, yeah. That’d be really nice.”
He doesn’t mean it like that, Ryan thought, heat rushing to his cheeks. He’s just affectionate with everyone. He’s a good friend.
Keith took Ryan back to the kitchen. He took the plate of tater tots to the table and found two small plates. He handed one to Ryan. Ryan looked at the little potato bits. Okay. He had to ask. He needed to know. It’s been driving him crazy from the moment he and Keith started hanging out.
“You call me tater tot.” Ryan said. “Right. Why?”
“W-Well, the first time you asked me to hang out, we had tater tots. And you said they were your favorite kind of potatoes! And I thought since they’re your favorite and you’re my favorite, you should be tater tot!”
Ah, hell. That was cuter than Ryan expected.
“What do you mean by I’m your favorite?”
Keith’s cheeks turned pink. What was he supposed to say? If he told Ryan he liked him, it could make Ryan uncomfortable. And Ryan is so amazing! He’s far too good for someone like Keith, right? What if Ryan laughed at his confession?
“I mean that I-I like you.” Keith said softly.
“You what?” Ryan asked in disbelief.
Keith’s eyes widened, his lower lip quivering. “I’m sorry! I know that it’s weird because we’re friends and I’m not…what you’re looking for in a partner…”
Ryan put his face in his hands. “Sorry, that came out so wrong. I just mean, I didn’t think you liked me. Because I like you a lot. And you’re so nice and smart and cute and -“
“So are you! You’re so great, Ryan! You’re my tater tot!”
“You’re my sunshine!”
Keith reached out and cupped Ryan’s face. “Tater tot!”
Ryan leaned in, grinning. “Sunshine!”
“I want to kiss you! And kiss you again!”
Ryan chuckled. Despite saying such a thing, Keith was biting his lip, too shy to close the gap. Ryan leaned in, closer and closer until their lips met. Keith made a surprised noise. They stayed like that for a moment, until John and Johnjohn ran in, running around Ryan and Keith’s legs and yipping excitedly. The two men pulled away from each other. That was probably their cue to break out the treats.
And maybe eat the tater tots. It would be terrible if they got cold when they’re Ryan’s favorite.